


Taking Their Time

by AutumnalBloom (orphan_account)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Chubby!Bruce - Freeform, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Stuffing, Weight Gain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:34:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8202257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/AutumnalBloom
Summary: Tony finds out that Bruce's birthday was last week and decides to throw him a party. While looking for a birthday gift, Tony finds something else out about Bruce via his search history. Things escalate once Tony figures out that he likes it too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Notes/Warnings: This is a slow burning weight gain fiction. If you don’t like that kind of thing, I’d recommend leaving now. Otherwise, enjoy. There isn’t a lot of action in this particular chapter, this is more of an introduction. The next chapter gets more serious.

“But you do realize that my birthday was last week, right?” Doctor Bruce Banner asked, folding his arms against his flat chest. He was feeling a little grumpy, the absolute last thing he wanted was a birthday party.  
Tony rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know it was last week, now that I finally got it out of Natasha. I want to make up for it because I’m pissed that you never let us celebrate anything with you.”  
Bruce sighed. “Why? I haven’t had a birthday in ten years and I haven’t missed it, either. I don’t like celebrating.”   
The taller man walked over to Bruce, and looked at him with the cutest puppy dog eyes. “Please, Brucie…? This place is your home now. We all want you around, I speak for the tam on that. Pleaseee?”   
“Fine, fine. Have a birthday party. But no surprises, and I’d like it to be kinda small, if that’s okay.”  
Tony grinned. “I’ll keep it more low-key than Loki, Brucie. It’ll be tomorrow, okay? Now, I’ll be down in the lab.” He jogged off and went up to the lab quickly, heading for his holographic displays. There was a lot to do, in order to get ready for the party. Decorations, the food, and…what the hell was he going to get for Bruce Banner? Typing quickly, he found his way into Bruce’s computer and his browser.   
“Sir, Dr. Banner has information that he asked me to warn you against visiting-“  
Tony raised his hand and shooed the invisible force of the AI away. “Whatever kinky things he’s into, I’m sure it’s not that bad.” He scrolled through his history and clicked a few links, stretching. Hmm. That was interesting. Embarrassing for him, not that Tony would do anything to hurt Bruce. This was actually kind of hot anyways. Maybe, if Bruce was willing, they could do it together. Maybe it was his way into Brucie’s heart.   
Moving on, he found a great idea for his birthday and ordered it with same-day shipping. Then he heard Bruce’s light footsteps down the hall and closed his browser without a trace, and moved himself to his workstation. Time to look busy with some blueprints.  
The scientist moved into the lab in his white lab coat, the one that always drove Tony wild. It was just so cute and scholarly, the way Bruce insisted on lab safety. Bruce moved to his chemistry station and started to work, becoming focused quickly. He was always good at that.   
A few moments later, arms wrapped around his body. That made Bruce turn around quickly, leaving him in a rather…intimate position with Tony. “Hey, Brucie?” Tony asked, softly. “Can I ask ya a question?”   
Bruce arched an eyebrow and moved away slightly, then nodded. “Sure, Tony…” He said, sounding a tad bit nervous.  
Tony smiled. “What color do you want your birthday to be?” He looked up at him and moved closer to the scientist again. “I was wondering.”  
He thought for a moment and looked away, doing his best to hide his relief. “Uh, purple, please.” Then he looked back at Tony. “Why are you going to all this trouble to throw me a party?”  
The older man wrapped an arm around Bruce lazily and pressed the scientist’s head against his shoulder, gently. “I want you to be happy. You’re my best friend. You deserve to be happy.”  
Bruce didn’t move. Tony was always a touchy-feely person. This felt romantic, but maybe..maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t know. “Thank you, Tony. That means a lot.” It was then that Tony decided to throw Bruce the best birthday party he possible could in twenty-four hours. 

 

Bruce was in his room the next evening, doing yoga in a soft oversized sweater. His room was warm, calm, and quiet. That was until Tony burst in and took his arm, pulling the shorter man up. “What is it, Tony?” Then he remembered. “Oh…I forgot. Are you sure I have to go? I’d really prefer just to relax and-“   
Tony shook his head. “No, you’re coming with me. Come on.”   
He sighed and followed Tony to the elevator, deciding just to get it over with. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Sometimes he thought that Tony was an actual five-year-old in an adult’s body. Shame it was so dang cute. The elevator ride was quiet and awkward, which Bruce thought was kinda weird. Tony knew something..he just hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was. But if Tony found out, wouldn’t he normally just say something? He was a blunt guy…suddenly, the elevator doors opened and Bruce couldn’t hold back a small smile. The rest of the team was there and so was Phil, and Steve had made his favorite chili. Mmm. Tony broke him from his food-induced daydream by pushing him out of the elevator with a smile. “Go get some food and we’ll do presents later on.” He said, following Bruce.  
Bruce nodded slightly and walked over to the food table, getting a small bowl of chili.   
“Damn, you should get a little bit more than that, Bruce. It’s your birthday. You eat like a bird, no offense Clint, like almost all the time. Just enjoy yourself.” Tony said, after he got the spoon and put more chili in. “You deserve it.” He was going to drill that one into Bruce’s head until he finally got it. The man deserved it. He deserved to be happy and to settle down and relax, whatever form that took.  
“Tony..” Bruce started, softly. Then he decided not to finish his thought. It would probably just make Tony upset anyways. “Alright.” He never ate as much as the other men in the Tower, mainly because he couldn’t work out the way they did. Not without the risk of turning into a giant green monster, anyways. “Alright. Thanks.” He took the bowl and sat down on the couch, relaxing. It was cold out, Christmas would be there in a few days. He was happy to be wrapped up in a big sweater and eating chili. Bruce ended up eating all the chili and sighed contently full and curled up. Tony was sitting beside him, head on Bruce’s shoulder.   
“It’s cake time!” Clint said suddenly, picking up a big vanilla birthday cake. It had to be big to feed all of them, but that also meant it was heavy. “You just come over here so we don’t have to pick it up again, and blow out the candles. Heh.” He put a few candles in randomly and lit them, then nodded for Bruce. “C’mon.”   
Bruce sighed. It was his birthday; it was an obligation even though the last thing he wanted was more food. Everyone stood around and sung happy birthday while a rosy blush moved to his cheeks. He hated this part of birthdays. Finally, it was over and he blew the candles out with one gentle puff of air.   
Steve was the first person to cut a piece of cake, but rather than put it on his own plate, he put it on Bruce’s. It wasn’t exactly a small piece of cake. “Birthday boy always gets the first piece of cake,” Steve said simply, then gave generous pieces of cake to everyone else. Steve usually forgot how much a ‘normal’ portion was, with the whole super serum thing and the appetite that came with it.   
Tony sat down next to Bruce and smiled at him slightly. “Presents after we eat cake, okay?” He took a spoon and started to eat his own, stretching easily. He wasn’t really full.   
Bruce definitely was. He ate his cake and nodded a little, thankful he had elected to wear an over-sized sweater. It served well to hide how full he was getting. God all he wanted to do was lie down and relax. He felt grounded, relaxed, and also a little horny, if he told the truth. After so long, he was good at controlling that. Still he couldn’t help but wonder if Tony had somehow arranged all of this. Maybe the others were in on it too. Or maybe he was just being a paranoid weirdo. After he finished his cake, he got up with a restrained groan of effort. He felt way too full to move.   
He collapsed on the sofa a few moments later and stretched out, yawning. Present time. Then maybe a nap. Yeah, definitely a nap. He sat up suddenly once he felt another body beside him on the sofa- Tony. “T-tony..” He chided, blushing. “I’m supposed to open presents now.”   
The older man absently rested a hand on Bruce’s chest, then nodded. “Open mine first.” He said, handing him a red and gold box.  
Bruce nodded and opened the box carefully, pulling the ribbon and gently opening the paper. He was one of those people who didn’t like to rip the paper. Finally, he opened the box and smiled. “Oh, that’s the heated sensory blanket I wanted! How did you know?” He looked at Tony, then based on the man’s smirk, his worst fears were confirmed. That was not good. Not good.  
Tony’s smirk turned to a soft smile when he noticed how much like a deer Bruce looked- the poor guy seemed terrified. “We’ll talk in the lab after presents.” He yawned, and watched the others give Bruce their presents. They were all nice. Most notably, Natasha gave Bruce another purple button up, and a soft spring sweater. The most exciting gift came from Clint- one of those stupid cans that shot snakes everywhere. Great idea. Thankfully, Bruce could take a joke or two, and he was too anxious right now about talking to Tony.   
Once it was over, both men found themselves in the lab, sipping coffee. Tony slid onto a counter and looked at him. “Bruce. I didn’t really…okay, maybe I did mean to look. But your preferences aren’t anything to be ashamed about, and it’s kinda cute.”   
Bruce looked away, bright red. “Really…? I always..I’ve always been ashamed of it. Myself.” He said, softly. To him, a little extra weight symbolized comfort, home, safety. All the things he couldn’t have.   
Tony shook his head. “Bruce. There’s no reason to be ashamed of it. I like you. I want to make you feel comfortable and fulfilled, and I think you’d look cute that way. Maybe I could get into it too. I think I already might be a little.” He walked over to Bruce and slid a hand under his sweater slowly, smiling and running a hand over the space between his chest and his slightly bloated tummy. “What do you say, Bruce? Do you wanna try?”   
Bruce thought for a moment, still blushing. Then he took Tony’s hand out from underneath his sweater, and nodded. “Sure. I like you too, Tony. A lot.”   
That made Tony smile, and the taller man pressed a quick and chaste kiss to Bruce’s mop of dark brown curls. “Good. This is going to be embarrassing, but we should probably -slowly- let the others in on it. Just so they aren’t shocked or anything.”  
“You’re right.” Bruce said, softly. “But not right now. Let’s just stay here for right now.”


	2. Clint-ical Trials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a horrible pun. Tony decides who to tell first, and Bruce isn't completely thrilled about it. They also do a little science together and go to an Italian restaruant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Yes, this is a very horrible pun. I'll post this on Tumblr tomorrow, for now you guys get an early look.

The next day, Bruce found Tony in his lab. “Hey, Tony. What are you doing?” He asked, furrowing his brows a bit as he noticed a 3D model of his own body. “I don’t think you’re practicing character design, amiright?”  
Tony turned and wrapped his arms around Bruce, pouting. “No, I’m not. And you need a cute nickname for me.” He sighed and nuzzled into his chest. “I’ve been trying to calculate the perfect weight for you and what that might look like, plus make sure no issues arise from it. Kinda depends on what you want too though, honeybun.”   
Bruce was quiet for a moment. “I, uh..I’m not really sure. I never thought this would actually happen. Would you mind sharing your notes? I think it’s been too long since we’ve worked together.”   
The man gave a small nod and let him look things over, then started to work with the model again. He had rigged kind of a medical simulation up, of the way Bruce’s body could change- he had actually made several different versions. “I hope you realize how hard this was for me to work on, because it was really turning me on.”   
He blushed bright red, ears included. “Wait, Tony- you actually like this too? You aren’t just humoring me?”   
“Yeah, duh…you big green goof.” Tony pushed his shoulder gently. “Let’s get to work. So Jarvis told me that right now, you weigh about 58.29 kilograms, or one-hundred and twenty-eight point five pounds, if you prefer. So here’s what I was thinking. We start small, right? First we bring you up to one thirty, and evaluate. If that goes well, we double it and you go to one forty. We’ll just take things slow.”   
Bruce thought for a moment, then nodded. “That seems fair..” He thought for a moment. “Tony, could I ask you something important, though?” He said, looking down. “I’d really like it if you gained a little weight too. I mean maybe not as much as me unless you really wanted to, and I know your public image means a lot to you, but I think you’d look really cute. That’s up to you though, I mean…even just a little less muscle would look cute on you.” He blurted the rest all at once, clearly nervous. Immediately after, he took off his glasses and started to clean them so hard Tony thought that Bruce would break the lenses.   
The room was quiet for a few minutes. It seemed like Tony was considering the possible ramifications. It would show his devotion to this and Bruce, obviously. But he did have an image to maintain with the press, and well, he was kind of vain. Being sexy was his thing. Maybe this was a new definition of sexy that people just hadn’t figured out yet. He had been with his share of bigger women; they were just as good in his mind. “Can I have a little while to think it over? I don’t think it would affect my health the same way it would yours. I mean, you’re pretty much invulnerable. You can’t die or get sick or anything.”   
Bruce stopped polishing his glasses and nodded, giving him that cute little smile. “Sure. I like your idea anyways, with taking things slow. There’s no rush. Do you think anyone else will actually notice, if it’s just five pounds?”   
Tony bit his lip. “Probably, to be honest. You’re kind of skinny as it is and you don’t have that much muscle on your body but, I have an idea for who to tell first. I think we should tell Clint.”  
He looked at him nervously and started polishing his glasses again, until Tony stopped him by taking his hand. “Tony, are you sure?” Bruce asked, gently. “I like Clint, but he’s kind of brash, and what if he doesn’t like me anymore? What if none of them do? God, why do I have such an awkward life?”   
Tony watched the man devolve into a complete puddle of anxiety, then sighed. “Brucieeee.” He wrapped his arms around him. “Don’t worry about it. I like you, and I’m obviously the only person that matters. Besides that, Clint was in the circus. I’m pretty sure he will have seen weirder. I wouldn’t worry. Now. Do you want to try to meet him for lunch or something? Cause I know a really good Italian restaurant down the block.”  
Bruce looked to the side, then nodded. “Sure, lunch sounds okay. We haven’t eaten out together yet. Do you think the media will bother us about it?”   
“No, honeybun. I kinda already rented out the restaurant, ‘cause I knew you’d say yes.” A small grin spread over Tony’s face. “I’ll go force Clint to go with us. Be ready in twenty. Also, you should wear that really cute purple button-up. I love that thing.” 

Twenty minutes later, Bruce was ready and wearing the requested button-up. If he gained five pounds, would it still fit him? If Tony liked it, maybe he could just get a new one in a bigger size. It was sort of an Einstein thing, after all. “Hey, Tony. Is it time to go already?” Bruce asked, lacing his brown oxford shoes.   
Tony nodded and took his hand, leading him out of the Tower. “Yep, Clint is meeting us there. Do you have an idea of how you want to bring it up, how you want to talk about it?”   
Bruce nodded a little bit. “Yeah. I don’t want him to think I’m a weirdo…even if I am.” He finished, meekly. “I just want them all to still like me.” That was Bruce’s biggest fear. After the birthday party, he felt like his friends really were just that, friends. It was nice. But what if they didn’t like him anymore? What if it was all just a lie…they just wanted him for the other guy.  
He stopped and looked down at Bruce. “Didn’t we talk about this, like literally twenty minutes ago? Bruce. Everyone likes you. I think they’ll continue to like you whether you’re small or big or anywhere in between. If they can handle the other guy, I think they’ll handle you.” Tony thought for a moment longer. “Clint won’t think you’re a weirdo, okay? I know more about him than you do, I know what he likes. He isn’t one-hundred percent normal.”  
Bruce arched an eyebrow, then nodded. “Alright. I won’t ask any questions about how you know that.” After a moment’s thought, he leaned over and kissed Tony’s cheek. “Thank you for helping me and being so nice…” He wasn’t sure how to finish at first. “You just make me feel at home, if that makes sense.”  
Tony looked at him, eyes shining slightly. He seemed almost giddy at the idea that Bruce was thinking of truly staying. “Thanks. I’m glad to hear that. Now, let’s go get you full of Italian food, alright?” 

 

The restaurant, aptly called ‘Buon Cibo’, was lovely. It was on the expensive side, more towards a suit and tie than Olive Garden. The pair were seated in a booth, and Clint soon appeared and sat down across from the two.   
“SO, guys. Is there a reason you asked me here like a really over-dramatic dinner date?” Clint asked, looking at them from over his menu.  
Tony nodded, deciding to take the lead. “This is, in fact, an overly dramatic dinner date. Okay, Bruce. You wanna talk now, or do you want me to take the lead on this one?”   
Bruce looked down for a few moments and then looked to Tony. “I’ll start. You know everyone has their own preferences. God, I sound like I’m talking to a seven-year-old. I’ve decided to gain some weight and…I thought you had the right to know. I don’t think it will affect anything, Tony and I have been studying this. Obviously this side of my life doesn’t have much to do with the other one, I guess I’m just -worried- Tony?” He knew he was starting to ramble, and become anxious all over again.   
The older man took Bruce’s hand, and smiled a bit. “It’s what Bruce wants and the guy is basically immortal. Pretty simple.”  
Clint looked between them, sipping on a water as the gears turned in his head. “Huh?” Then he realized. “Oh, oh! I see. Okay, whatever. It’s not my cup of tea but I don’t actually care what either of you do with your sex lives.” He yawned. “I can’t believe you took me out and brought all this tension just to tell me this. Next time, one of you had better be dead or dying already.” He chuckled.   
The waiter walked over to take their order, and it took a few minutes to work things out. In the end they ended up getting risotto balls as an appetizer to share and chocolate mousse to have at the end. Bruce got a family plate to share with Tony, figuring they could eat it together. It was quite a bit of food, but Tony didn’t say anything about it- he’d just encourage Bruce to eat a little more.  
Once their food was delivered, Tony set to feeding Bruce as casually as possible, so he wouldn’t make Clint uncomfortable. Maybe uncomfortable was the wrong word, maybe just subtly enough that Clint wouldn’t tease them about it for the rest of the year. He would slip Bruce a little fried ball of rice and cheese whenever Clint got a text and started to play on his phone, and the small scientist always seemed to accept it.   
After he had finished about half of the plate, Bruce picked up one of them and popped it in Tony’s mouth instead. “Stop, I’ll spoil my lunch.” He said softly, looking at him. “I’m already full, and these are really good.”  
Tony nodded slightly and leaned against him. They were actually really good, so he had another. He had to remember that Bruce wasn’t exactly an eating machine yet. He was still the same scientist who was doing pretty well to finish two pieces of pizza. Well, unless he had just returned from a mission out where was necessary to let the other guy loose- then it was like a feeding frenzy. None of that ever went to his hips anyways. “Alright.”  
Clint looked at them suspiciously over his phone, and put it away. “Guys, I don’t care if you do…this,” He waved his hands in a general way. “in front of me, but it’s kind of ridiculous to watch you try and hide it like horny teenagers. It’s not really working. I am a spy who is sitting right across from you. Chill. I’ve seriously seen way weirder stuff in the circus.   
The relief that the two men shared was almost palpable. Tony leaned over and pecked Bruce on the lips, leaving him blushing and red. “Thanks, Clint.” That was all Bruce could manage to say before their food arrived. The pasta was more than both of him had expected actually, and it did look amazing. Bruce started eating right away on his own, and Tony picked at everything like he usually did. Clint even stole a few pieces of it here and there as he worked on his soup.   
After about twenty minutes, Bruce was slowing down. He was already too full. “Tony…I don’t think I can eat anymore.” He said, yawning. Then he blushed, feeling Tony move closer and subtly touch Bruce’s stomach. It wasn’t that visible yet, just slightly distended to anyone who was really focused on his chest.   
“Bruce, you’ve almost finished half of it. Eat just a little bit more? For science.”   
Bruce couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow at that one. “For science? I’m not sure how eating more is for science.”   
Tony shook his head and kissed his cheek. “It’s for science so that I can figure out more. C’mon.” He picked up a fork and started to give Bruce little bites of the penne, until Bruce was completely positive that he couldn’t eat anymore. He was full and overfull.   
That was of course, the perfect moment for the chocolate mousse to arrive. Clint’s eyes lit up, he was definitely participating in this one. Bruce tried to withhold a groan. That looked amazing- and there was no way he could eat it.   
Before he could even argue or tell Tony not to, Tony put a small spoonful of the chocolate in his mouth. “It’s good.” Tony added, getting a spoonful for himself. “Eat some.” The bowl was soon empty.  
Bruce was pretty much stuffed as he leaned back against the booth seat. Yeah, now it was pretty obvious that he had overeaten. There was a slight bulge around the buttons of his purple Einstein shirt, and he looked surprisingly pained. “Tony…I definitely ate too much.” He said, softly. “Too much even though I was supposed to eat a lot.”   
Tony looked at him and then Clint, who was currently leaving.  
“I’ll let you two lovebirds figure out how to leave the booth.” He laughed, then gave a small wave. Bruce didn’t say anything, just waved slightly.   
Turning his attention back to Bruce, Tony touched his stomach underneath his shirt and started to rub small circles on the hard bump. “It’s okay. We’ll go home and you can lay on the sofa in the lab.” He ducked under the table and took Bruce’s hand, helping him up with a grunt. “Geez…” He mumbled. “C’mon, Brucie. Let’s go home.” He said, after finally getting the overstuffed scientist up.  
Bruce just nodded and leaned back, making his belly seem more prominent and sending shivers down Tony’s spine. The walk home was too long for both of them.

 

The next day, Bruce was definitely still bloated but feeling better. They were both on the couch in the lab. Tony was still asleep, so Bruce got up slowly and walked over to the scale. He could weigh himself early, as a surprise to Tony. Most studies said that you weighed the least in the morning, though he had a feeling that the food he had gorged himself on yesterday wasn’t completely processed yet. He still felt pretty full. Maybe he could have a donut or two, but that was about it. He stepped on the scale and waited patiently. Hmm. One twenty-nine. That was a full five ounces more, though he felt as though he weighed a lot more than that. The feeling of fullness was relaxing, and a real turn on. Absently, he put a hand on his belly, not unlike a pregnant woman. He heard a warm chuckle behind him and then warm arms wrap around his waist- Tony was awake.   
Tony leaned on his shoulder gently. “Good morning, honeybun. I saw your weight, maybe we can improve on it this morning. We have an Avengers meeting, but…I could bring donuts.”  
Bruce smiled. “You must have read my mind. Donuts sound perfect. Let me go change into something else though. I feel huge, and I’ve only gained a tiny bit- I wonder what I’ll feel like when I gain five pounds. Or more.”   
He grinned. “I knew you would love really doing this. I’ll help you change, so I can see all that belly for myself.” Tony chuckled, and followed Bruce back to his room. He definitely wanted this to keep going. Now that Clint knew, it was only going to get more difficult from here, but…it would be worth it. Bruce was such a cutie pie.


	3. Five Pounds (Give or Take)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce gains more than he expected, and instead of being a stress eater, he tends to do the opposite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes/Warnings: No warnings this time. If anyone has some suggestions of what they’d like to see in this fiction, I’d be happy to hear them. I like suggestions!

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Come on, Tony.” He pushed his glasses back up onto his face. “I have not gained five pounds in just a month. There’s no way- anybody will tell you that it’s not healthy or physically possible.”  
Tony just crossed his arms in response. “Anyone who has experienced Christmas and the general winter season will tell you that it’s not only possible- it’s likely. Now come on, just step on the scale and we’ll see.”   
The younger scientist obliged with a huff and stepped on the scale, waiting patiently as the hyper sensitive scale calibrated to his weight. “Seven?” Bruce squeaked, stepping off the scale. It read one-hundred and thirty-six pounds, no mistake. Unstuffed, Bruce looked down to his body. Okay, there wasn’t that much of a difference, but the light muscle he had acquired through his yoga practice had definitely disappeared. Maybe his small khakis were feeling ever so slightly on the tight side. Maybe his shirt was feeling a little strained as well, especially when he overate. Before, the button-ups he wore were able to handle it. Would Tony think that was sexy? He was broken from his train of thought as Tony put a hand on his shoulder, a wide grin on the man’s face.  
“Don’t worry Bruce, I’m sure your body is just adjusting. I like it anyways, and I know you do too. It’s not like you can get sick or any type of terrible disease anyways, so I don’t see why we have to worry about what’s ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ or ‘ethical’.” He was using air quotes for emphasis.   
Bruce thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, alright. But I still want to be careful. Let’s have Jarvis do a heath scan.”   
Jarvis broke in. “Already done, Doctor Banner, if you’ll pardon the interruption. You are in perfect health by standard of all previous records.”  
Tony chuckled. “See? Absolutely nothing to worry about. I think we should go get some breakfast, since you haven’t had anything today. I bet you’re getting hungry.” He poked Bruce’s stomach, which elicited a small rumble. “See? Definitely hungry. C’mon.”   
The man nodded and walked to the kitchen with him, humming as he absently ran a hand over his stomach. Okay, maybe he was enjoying this more than he let on. He should tell Tony that more often. All of this was because of him. “Tony, you’re right. This is great.” Then he walked into the kitchen and saw Steve Rogers, eating an apple. Ah…fantastic.   
“What’s great?” The buff super-soldier said, taking a sip of water.   
“Uh…just us, our relationship and stuff…” Bruce shrugged and looked over at Tony, kissing his cheek. Tony smirked but didn’t say anything. Apparently Bruce would literally rather come out to Steve Rogers than tell him about all this.   
“Oh, okay.” Steve said, shrugging. “Whatever.” He walked out behind the kitchen. “Do either one of you want to come to the gym with me? Bruce?” He added, looking at him.   
Bruce turned red. Oh God, he had noticed already? How was that even possible? It wasn’t like he was even that big yet…wait. It was probably that damned meeting last month. He really shouldn’t have eaten that sixth donut. Damn. “Uh...I think I’ll skip out on that. I- uh, y’know, the Other Guy.” He said, shyly.  
Tony broke in. “Can I handle this? Too bad, I totally am. Let’s go talk Steve.” He took the man’s shoulder and walked a few feet away, speaking lowly. Bruce was barely able to watch. God, he was nervous. What if Steve thought he was gross? He already knew about his feelings for Tony, and now he knew about this too. A conservative guy from the thirties and fourties. The person he was kind of hoping would find out last.   
Tony looked at Steve. “Look. Bruce and I are kinda dating now. We haven’t discussed it per say, but we are. And we both have kind of a fetish, or a sexual preference if you like. I won’t go into it for the sake of your cheeks,” Steve’s cheeks really were bright red already. “but it’s our choice, so you’ll have to live with it. It won’t mess with the Hulk or anything else. Bruce is just going to gain some weight and I’m just helping. Please don’t be mad at Bruce- it’ll crush him.” He was saying all of this in a low tone, looking from Steve to his adorable Bruce, then back to Steve.  
The soldier was confused for a few moments, then nodded. “O..kay..” He said, slowly. “I’m not sure why anyone would want that, but as long as you aren’t hurting him and it’s consensual, I guess it isn’t really my choice.”   
Tony slapped him on the back. “Exactly! Good. Now you can make us breakfast, ‘cause you know I can’t cook.” It was a skill that had always eluded Tony, much to his annoyance. It was supposed to be just like science, exact and simple. Cooking was unfortunately more than that, it required the same passion and soul. Tony didn’t like cooking at all.  
Steve sighed and rolled his eyes, but walked towards the kitchen. “Alright. What do you guys want?” He asked, starting to get the tools he would need.  
Bruce decided to pipe up. “Uh, would you..would you mind making those really good pancakes that you used to make?” He asked softly, looking at Steve with those dark puppy dog eyes that made Tony melt every time, truly hoping he would. Bruce loved those pancakes, but for some reason Steve had stopped making them months ago.  
Tony sat down on the barstool across from the counter. “If you can say no to that, you must be the one who’s actually missing a heart.” He poured himself something to drink, then Bruce took it out of his hand. “Hey!”   
“It’s eleven, Tony. No drinking until after five.”   
In the meantime, Steve did start making those pancakes. They always reminded him of the past, of his mom- that’s why he stopped making them. Tony was right though; it was hard to ignore Bruce’s puppy-dog eyes. “Guys, why don’t we all have some orange juice instead? Also, Tony, we have an assignment later on.”   
Bruce arched an eyebrow, getting the orange juice from the fridge. Tony downed his drink while his back was turned. “Is the Other Guy needed too?” Bruce asked, pouring a glass for everyone.   
“No, not today.” Steve said, shaking his head. “It’s a pretty small run. Nothing that everyone can’t handle.” He poured the batter onto a steaming pancake griddle, humming. “I’ve been told that it’s just another HYDRA base.”   
The sweet scent of pancakes filled the Avenger Tower air a few minutes later, and thankfully Steve had made a lot- because the others showed up as soon as breakfast was finished cooking. The first thing Steve did was ensure that Bruce got all the pancakes he wanted- or needed, totaling to four. Then he let everyone else get what they wanted, and grabbed another apple for himself.   
Tony gave Steve a grateful smile, taking the breakfast as a weird peace offering and a signal that it was fine. It was nice. So far, everyone had been accepting of this- and Steve was the one he was most worried about. Still, there were a few more challenges ahead. Natasha, Thor…there was one other person they hadn’t talked to yet either, the Hulk himself. His opinion mattered too. Well, Tony thought so. If it were up to Bruce, Tony was pretty sure that he would just ignore everything that Hulk wanted, not like that would ever work.  
Bruce put some syrup on his pancakes, then some butter, and dug in. They were heavenly just like he remembered. “Wow, Steve.” He said softly. “These are really great. Thanks for making them for me,” He smiled a little at him and visibly relaxed, eating quietly after that. He listened to the other Avengers chatter, feeling safe and happy. Closer to feeling at home, that was for sure. He didn’t feel like running away right now- though if Tony kept having his way, he wouldn’t be running anywhere soon.   
After a while, Tony leaned his head on Bruce’s shoulder and looked up at him. “Doin’ alright?” He whispered, relaxed and clearly happy. It looked good on Tony, real happiness. “You’ve almost eaten all of those pancakes.” He added, moving closer to Bruce’s ear.  
The younger man almost shivered at Tony’s nearness, giving a small nod. “Be quiet.” He scolded softly, looking at him from the corner of his eye. “Lab.” Was the only other thing he said before he took a last bite of his pancakes and slid off of the barstool. Then he walked off, taking the elevator.   
Tony arched an eyebrow and then followed, hoping that Bruce was just looking for more privacy. He walked into the lab and was greeted by Bruce wrapping his arms around Tony for once- he was a little dumbfounded. Bruce almost never showed affection first, as best as he could tell. “Brucie..” He said happily, nuzzling into his chest. He could feel the warmth coming from Bruce’s stomach, as it gently pressed into Tony. “You’re so wonderful.” He added gently, running a hand through the curls of his unofficial boyfriend. “Date me for real?”  
Bruce nodded. “Absolutely.” He said contently, sighing softly. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome, Tony.”   
“You are welcome, Bruce. It’s not just me. Everyone in the Tower likes you, trust me.” Tony sighed. “You’re just not aware of it yet. I was thinking. Y’know the new room I built, for the Other Guy to relax in?” A small nod in response. “I think we should tell him too,” Tony continued.  
“Tony…he won’t understand. He barely speaks, I don’t think he’ll understand something complex like relationships or sex. Y’know?” Bruce asked gently, looking down at the floor. “Besides, he’s been a lot quieter since we started this. Easier for me to forget about.”   
Tony smiled a little. “Well, that’s good at least. I think. I just want you to be happy, Bruce.” He was hesitant for a moment, then gently pushed Bruce’s chin up and leaned in. Then it happened- he pressed a soft kiss to Bruce’s lips, inhaling deeply. He tasted like syrup and a moment later, the other scientist began to kiss back. Thank God. Tony then deepened the kiss, practically sinking into it. It was perfect.   
Bruce felt the fire too. He was in love with Tony- there was no denying it. It wasn’t just the food thing, though that was great. He could feel a connection, and God was Tony attractive. He was cute when he wore those silly reading glasses in the lab, he was amazingly sexy in those suits…it wasn’t fair. How could anyone resist? Tony was flawless. Always…happy, at least it seemed that way. Finally, he pulled away and inhaled deeply. “That was nice.” Bruce said softly, a smile spreading across his lips. “Now. You can come back and spend time with your soon-chubby boyfriend after that thing Steve was talking about, okay?”   
The older man groaned. “Ugh…are you sure I can’t just slip off?” The look on Bruce’s face was a clear ‘no’, ‘no’, and an ‘absolutely not’. “Fine. Have a good day, alright? Don’t worry too much about me.” Tony gave Bruce a small peck, then walked off. It would be fine. A small assignment, maybe an hour or two tops.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a lot longer than two hours. Still no luck. Another hour passed, and Tony finally walked into the living room. Bruce was asleep and it didn’t seem like he had eaten since Tony left. He sighed and sat down beside him on the sofa and started to rub Bruce’s back, noticing how tightly the man was curled up. “It’s okay…” He said softly, then leaned down and kissed Bruce’s forehead.   
Bruce stirred slightly and whimpered, moving into Tony with a soft sigh. The night was quiet, and he just wanted to sleep with his boyfriend. To hell with food tonight. His stomach seemed to disapprove of that idea, growling.   
Tony wouldn’t let him go to sleep hungry, so he ordered a pizza through Jarvis and turned on the television. “Brucie, wake up so we can have some dinner.” He had completely forgotten about the scratches and bruises that littered his body. He smiled as he watched Bruce start to stir and wake up, then leaned against him a little. “I ordered your favorite pizza, Hawaiian. Is that okay?”   
Bruce just grunted in agreement, then sat up and looked at him. “Mm. Are you okay?” He asked, frowning as he saw the cut on Tony’s forehead, then the rest of him. “What was all that from?”   
“Some douchebag HYDRA agents,” He lied. “Nothing to worry about.”   
There was some side eye with that one, but Bruce decided to ignore the odd lie for now and got up, shuffling to the bathroom. Then he returned with the hydrogen peroxide and bandages, fixing him up. Whatever Tony was lying about; he could worry about later. The first priority was making sure he was okay.   
The pizza arrived just as Bruce finished up taking care of Tony’s wounds, so the scientist got up and paid for it too. The steaming pie landed on the coffee table and Bruce landed back down on the couch, inhaling the sweet scent of pineapple and ham. “Thanks for getting my favorite.” He knew that Tony wasn’t a huge fan of it.   
Tony shrugged. “It’s fine. You’re really cute when you’re happy. Now eat your pizza, I’m exhausted and I wanna sleep on the sofa with you.” He did end up stealing one piece of pizza, eating it quickly before he went back to leaning against Bruce. Just a little bit more chub, and Bruce would start making a pretty good pillow.   
It didn’t take long for Bruce to get through about half the pizza, but that was all he could eat. The day had just been too long and well, a little on the stressful side. He lied down and closed his eyes, then pulled Tony against him. “Goodnight.” He mumbled, softly.  
“Goodnight, Brucie.” Tony returned, before closing his own eyes. He leaned close against Bruce, and soon the warmth lulled him to sleep. The battle had been worth it. Worth it because now he was home, and safe in Bruce’s arms. If anything ever happened…both Bruce and the Other Guy were there. He trusted both equally.


	4. The Sideways Tango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is Tony, basically. Bruce is starting to become a little self-conscious and Tony is still lying to him about something as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes/Warnings: This chapter doesn’t actually have any smut in it, just random sexual-type chatter.

A few days later, Bruce and Tony were working in the lab. Bruce was working on a sucker, the kind that little kids got for free at the bank. Tony knew he liked the butterscotch kind and now he was extra sure to keep the lab stocked. Tony was watching his lab partner, mind filled with suggestive thoughts as he watched Bruce.   
“Hey, Brucie?”   
Bruce stood up straighter and looked over at him, arching an eyebrow. “Hmm?” He asked, softly.   
“When was the last time you had sex? Y’know, the sideways tango?”   
The younger scientist immediately turned back to his work, hesitant to answer. It would probably upset Tony- but he didn’t want to lie. That wasn’t how relationships were supposed to be. “Ten- maybe eleven years…” He said slowly, still not making eye contact with Tony.  
Tony was dumbfounded. He started to sputter a little. “Eleven years? Oh my God, Bruce!” He was almost angry, but more confused than anything else. “What the hell? How does a guy…no, you must be kidding me? You haven’t done like anything? Not even jack off?”   
Bruce winced at his tone of voice and turned back to him, his expression was stoic and cold- Tony knew that look. He was hurt, shit. “Tony. My choice is not a joke. I haven’t done anything sexual in eleven years. The closest thing I’ve done is kiss you, and…even that was the first time in years. When was the last time you had sex? I don’t think you have that much room to judge me. It’s not really worth the risk.” A small flush was coming to his cheeks, but his voice was stable and cool.  
“Actually, it’s been a month and a half.” Tony said, looking towards the floor. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you or overreact. I just- I can’t imagine that. I’m already going out of my mind. You could teach those monks in the mountains a thing or two.”   
Well, it was Bruce’s turn to be shocked. Tony was serious. He hadn’t done anything since he started dating him. Was faithful the right word? The man was practically addicted to sex, it had to be hell. “T-tony..” He began softly, retreating back into his shell. “You shouldn’t wait for me.” His voice suddenly became slightly pained. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do that for you. No matter how bad we both want it. You know what I’m worried about. One second everything will be fine, then my pulse spikes and…” No, he couldn’t think too much on that. He didn’t want to dwell on the idea of crushing Tony in what was supposed to be a sacred and intimate moment. “You should definitely find someone else to have sex with besides me.”   
Tony walked over to him after a moment, taking one of his hands and then placing another on his stomach. “Bruce. You’re living proof that apparently, a guy can’t die from lack of intimacy. I can always just handle myself- if you’ll excuse the pun. It’s okay.” He leaned up and kissed Bruce’s cheek. “We’ll take things however you want to. But in the meantime- I was wondering if you could teach me how to do yoga.”   
Bruce was really starting to feel like he had landed in an episode of the Twilight Zone today. “Yoga. The thing you recently called ‘satan’s edition of gym stretches’?” He thought for a moment. “You must be dying, but come on before you change your mind. I’ll go change and get the room ready. You go change into something flexible and loose.” He walked off, ready to get into his ‘zen’ mood.   
When he got to his room, Bruce chose a comfortable pair of black yoga pants and a tank top. He hardly ever wore tanks, except for when he was practicing. When he put the clothes on though, that was when he noticed how tight and uncomfortable he actually felt- and looked. God, he wasn’t even that big but he looked like an idiot. Would he have to give up yoga? That was a decent reason the Other Guy stayed in check…he could just tune out for a while. He studied himself with a frown, before he remembered that Tony was depending on him to get the room ready and make yoga as enjoyable as possible. Yeah, he was just going to have to get over this one. Save the worrying for later.   
He walked back to his floor and into his yoga room, switching on the humidifier. It was always considerably warmer than the rest of the tower, Bruce always found warmth soothing. He added some essential oils to the water of the humidifier, lavender and sage. Then he put his mat on the side of the room and put out a spare from Tony. All Bruce wanted to do was help Tony enjoy relaxing and meditating like he did.   
Soon enough, Tony did arrive. When he saw Bruce, he couldn’t help but notice how tightly packed Bruce was into his yoga pants. Apparently they were never that well-fitting. “Hey, sweetheart.” He said a little too loudly for the room.   
Bruce jumped slightly and waved shyly. “Sit down on the blue mat and we’ll start. I’ll show you a few different poses and then you can copy me or do what you feel is right. Yoga is sort of…you have to listen to yourself.” He moved down to his own mat slowly, and tried to relax. His muscles were tense and he was uncomfortable.   
Tony obeyed quietly and got onto his mat, watching Bruce. Then he inhaled deeply, noticing the scent of flowers and spice in the room. So that was why Bruce always smelt that way. They started to go through a few simple stretches together, and he noticed how off Bruce seemed. He wasn’t sure what was wrong but it was rubbing off. It was making him tense too. After they finished their little practice, they both just sat on their mats for a few moments. Tony reached over and took Bruce’s hand, frowning. “Brucie, what’s wrong?” He asked, softly.  
Looking down at his purple mat and then to Tony, he shrugged lightly. “Nothing, I guess…I guess I didn’t realize how stupid I would look like this.” He said, quietly. “I didn’t realize how fat I looked.”   
“Bruce, you aren’t fat…” Tony began, clearly concerned. It was odd for him to be so serious. “You’re barely even chubby at this point. You look fantastic to me, and I think you should be comfortable. We’ll get you some new yoga pants. I’ve seen way bigger guys doing yoga and it’s been fine. We’ll make it work.” He moved over to him after a few moments, then wrapped an arm around him. “This was fun.”  
Bruce sniffled a little. “Liar, you hate yoga.” He said, a little bitterly.  
“But I love doing things with you. And besides, it’s steam yoga with Natasha that I hate. Now. Let’s go shopping, okay? We can get you some comfier clothes, or I can order you some stuff online. It’s up to you. We can get some lunch.”  
He looked down, studying Tony’s hands. “Going out is okay, if you don’t mind the media. I don’t really care.” He knew that the media would start noticing soon, the press would have a field day. But there was no choice, he was all in. The last thing he wanted to do was let Tony down, and he didn’t want to lose this. “Just let me go change into something more acceptable.”   
Before he could leave completely, Tony caught him. “Wait- Bruce. I want you to be comfortable. I want you to feel safe, and at home, and…loved. If you don’t like something or don’t want something, tell me. I’ll fix it, alright?”   
His only response was a little nod, before he walked off to change. Maybe Tony was right, but he was still scared. Scared about what people would think, what the end result of all this would be. Would Tony stick around, or would he just ditch him like everyone else? It made sense. But he had to try and trust again, and maybe trust himself. “Alright. Pull it together.” He mumbled, moving into his room and changing.  
They left a little while later, and Tony was trying to figure out where to take him. Bruce didn’t like all of the attention that a tailor or overly expensive stores provided, but Tony couldn’t stand the idea of taking him to the mall. Malls were not someplace he could go if at all possible. However, he could tell Bruce was in a down mood today. It wasn’t unusual. Tony knew how depressed Bruce could be sometimes, it was a day to day thing. He didn’t mind. “C’mon.” He took Bruce’s hand and squeezed it. “Don’t be so blue. It’s okay.”   
That was the wrong thing to say to Bruce. He forced a small smile and looked out the window absently, squeezing Tony’s hand back. “Thanks.” He said softly. “I’m okay, so don’t worry too much. Are we going to that mall we went to last time?” While he would have preferred someplace smaller, cheaper. Tony always spent too much money on him.  
Tony nodded a little, still driving. “I figured you would be able to live with it.” He yawned. “Do you want to get lunch first?”  
Bruce bit his lip and moved his hand away from Tony’s gently. “I’d rather shop first. I’m not very hungry.”   
That was when Tony knew that getting him to eat today would probably be a battle. It was hard to make Bruce gain weight when he struggled so much with actually eating. “Alright. We can go to the Cheesecake Factory after, then.” He knew that Bruce loved their lettuce wraps. “Don’t worry, babe. No one will notice right now. Even if they did, why care what the stupid journalists say? You’re incredibly handsome Bruce. Getting more handsome every day, too.”   
That made Bruce smiled a little. “What, you think I’m handsome?” He leaned against the window, then looked back to him. “You’re not too bad yourself. A little on the skinny side…” He poked Tony’s rib, which made the engineer giggle. Only Bruce knew it, but Tony was extremely ticklish. “But I don’t mind. We have plenty of time.” He still wasn’t feeling completely better about this, or about life in general, but he would be fine. No need to worry Tony more than he already was. There was so much going on already. The weird project that Tony had been so secretive about, that even J wouldn’t tell him about. Not to mention his refusal to tell him what happened on the mission. No, Tony had enough to handle without worrying about his own crappy self-esteem. “And I love the Cheesecake Factory. It’s so weird in there.” He had never been able to pinpoint what country they were trying to mimic in their décor, despite all of his world travels. His nearest guess was Egyptian, but that was about it.   
Tony smiled. He could feel Bruce’s mood improved, or at least it seemed that way. He parked at the mall and walked in, glad that the building was well heated. It was still cold outside. Wasn’t exactly shocking for the middle of January. This time last year, he was in Malibu…with Pepper. Yeah, not going down that mental road right now. He walked inside with Bruce, heading towards the shop he knew Bruce liked. In his mind, he had affectionately dubbed the shop ‘Nerdy Professor Store’. That was part of what made Bruce so cute, though. He had that whole professional vibe.   
Bruce smiled more when he saw the shop and walked inside. This would be a pretty simple trip, just get a size up and go. The yoga pants they would have to go somewhere else for. He actually ended up buying almost exactly the same clothing, just in a size up. This particular store didn’t really have season clothing changes. It was all the same year-round. It made Bruce feel better, though. They had like quite a few more sizes to go before he would even be out of what was considered the ‘normal’ sizes and into the plus-sizes.   
An hour later, they were in the restaurant, ready for lunch. As much as Tony wanted Bruce to keep those yoga pants for the sake of showing off his butt, Bruce was very relieved to get some new ones that fit better and had a little bit more room to boot. Now they were looking over the menu. Bruce knew exactly what he wanted already. “Do you want to split them, Tony? I mean, there are a lot of lettuce wraps that come with it.”   
Tony shook his head. “No, you eat them all. They’re kind of healthy to begin with, so you have to make up for it.” He smirked. “I’m getting a hamburger.”   
Bruce shook his head slightly. “I don’t know how it is that I’m the one who’s gaining weight like a bear preparing for hibernation.”   
The older scientist leaned a head against Bruce’s shoulder, smirking gently. “Don’t worry, it’ll catch up with me. I’m practically ancient by now so I think my metabolism has gotten pretty chill.”   
Bruce looked at him. “You mean…?” He began softly, then smiled and kissed the top of Tony’s head. It wasn’t like the billionaire had a singular grey hair on his head, but maybe he dyed it or something. Bruce on the other hand, found his hair was starting to become a little less dark- he would occasionally find a grey hair or two. Probably just all of the stress catching up with him, but who could know for sure? “I’m glad.” He said, gently. It was weird, Tony being so completely and devoted to him. It was like he would never have to want for anything again. It seemed like Tony really did want him to stay. No matter what that took.  
“Do you want to get some cheesecake for dessert too, Brucie?” Tony suddenly asked, snapping him from his thoughts.   
“Sure, Tony. We are in the right place for it after all.” He leaned down and kissed him again, this time it was a real kiss. The restaurant wasn’t that busy- and after all, who really cared? It wasn’t the end of the universe if everyone found out they were dating. In fact, Bruce thought it was pretty amazing that someone like Tony could love someone like himself. And the Other Guy. He had to be included too, technically. Package deal. It seemed that he was pretty agreeable at this point, though. He liked Tony and he liked this new venture- though Bruce had decided not to share that information with the genius just yet. It could be information that the Other Guy would share for himself. If he was smart enough, anyways.   
The meal went quickly. Tony didn’t exactly over-eat persay, but the meal itself just wasn’t particularly healthy, and it was larger than the average. Bruce ate all of his lettuce wraps, feeling particularly zen as he assembled each one. Sometimes certain activities just soothed him and the wild beast in his mind for reasons he couldn’t explain. Eating was one, being with Tony was another, working in the lab was probably the last he could think of. They both ate in a comfortable silence with one another, before Tony decided to speak up. “Well, that was pretty good. What kind of cheesecake do you want, Brucie?” He reached over and plucked a dessert menu from another table, then handed it to him. “I was kind of thinking of the white chocolate and raspberry. I don’t know whether you want to share or not.”  
Bruce shook his head slightly. “I have enough room for my own slice. I’m going to get the mango key lime.” He smiled and when both of those arrived, the couple was able to plow through those as well. Apparently if they encouraged each other enough, a lot of food could be demolished in a relatively short time.   
“Bruce…” Tony said after a few moments, rubbing his very full stomach. “Does it usually feel like this? Heavy and warm and..” He yawned. “Drowsy?”   
Bruce smiled, apparently his new boyfriend really was open to trying anything. He too was stuffed, but feeling considerably more awake. “Yeah, honey.” He rubbed Tony’s stomach gently. “Next time you want to stuff yourself like this, we’ll do it at home so you can take a nap right away?”   
Tony decided not to respond to that and instead put his head on Bruce’s lap. “Who says I can’t nap here?” He mumbled after a few minutes, sleepily. Bruce knew they couldn’t, so he gently shook his shoulder.   
“Tony, what about the press? Your reputation and stuff. We should go before anyone sees it.”   
A sleepy groan, “Damn it…fine.” He got up slowly and left a hundred on the table, then practically waddled out.   
Bruce was trying really hard to restrain a laugh. Okay, Tony was usually overdramatic, but he had eaten way more than him and he was fine. “Tony…you just ate too much, you aren’t dead.” He patted his own stomach. “I didn’t push it that much today, but surely you aren’t that full. Hey, if you want, I’ll drive back to the Tower.”   
That woke Tony right up. “Hell no.” He mumbled, making his way to the car. “Not that I don’t trust you, I just don’t trust anyone with that.”   
The drive back to the Tower was quiet. Most of it was comfortable, some of it felt heavy like their stomachs. Bruce was still worried. He was worried about Tony, that he was doing all this stuff for him and not thinking of himself. Not thinking about what Tony wanted. All Bruce wanted to do was make sure that he wouldn’t leave. Besides, it wasn’t like Tony could get huge without any consequences, like he could. They had to be careful. Tony was fragile, at least in Bruce’s eyes. They had to be careful. Not just Tony, not just Bruce, but the Other Guy too. Hopefully he was getting the message.


	5. Thor and His Breakfast (Don’t Mess with It)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes/Warnings: Thor gets pissed off at Bruce. Tony is a good(ish) boyfriend, despite still being secretive and slightly neglecting Bruce except for feeding him. Also, this turned out more angsty and much longer than I originally planned. I plan to do the whole Trick or Treat Yourself Challenge later on too, but I think that'll be a separate story outside this one. Thanks for reading!

In Bruce’s defense, he was hungry. Lately, when he was hungry, he wasn’t able to think too clearly. It wasn’t like he had completely ballooned or anything, but he was definitely teetering on the close edge of chubby. He was now on the couch, rubbing his bloated stomach. Okay, so maybe eating all of Thor’s poptarts wasn’t the best idea. How many boxes was it, anyways? Three? Four? God, he felt like such a pig. Just as he was about to lie down and sleep, he heard an angry roar. Okay…that was Thor. That was not good.   
Thor stormed into the living room, completely ignoring the fact that Bruce looked like he might curl up into the sofa at any moment. “Doctor Banner! Do not attempt to conceal from me- it is obvious you ate the rest of my poptarts. Why?” He was practically yelling, when he paused to take a breath he noticed the way Bruce was wincing at almost every word. Mayhap he had been a little too harsh on the Doctor. “Is something wrong?” He asked, in a slightly more normal tone. Which was still louder than almost everyone on Earth.   
Bruce looked down. “Nothing is wrong, Thor. I’m sorry that I ate your poptarts.” He said, in such a quiet tone that he was barely audible. “I’ll go walk down to the store and get you more.” He got up with a small struggle, his stomach still weighing on him heavily.   
Tony suddenly walked in from the kitchen, looking at them and crossing his arms. “Nothing doing, beautiful. Thor, he ate your poptarts because he was hungry. I’ll get you some new ones later on.”  
The god of lightning was not taking that one. “Man of Iron, we will go to the store now to get my replacement breakfast.”  
“Yeah, Tony. I don’t care. We can go now.” He said, quietly. “It’ll be nice to spend some time with you.” This was the first time he had seen Tony outside the lab. Even when it was time for them to eat, Bruce usually just brought it to the lab. Tony was still keeping his project a secret, and it hurt a little bit. He was glad to do something and get out with him. He wasn’t even thinking about how chubby he actually looked in his brown coat and purple undershirt. Yeah, they were going to have to get another size soon. “So. Let’s go now.”   
They were all outside within a matter of minutes. It was a little cold still, but everything seemed quiet. Suddenly Bruce turned his head a little, hearing a camera shutter snap. “Tony.” He said, touching his arm.   
Tony knew exactly what to do. Bruce was obviously the culprit of eating like a million poptarts, but Thor was still a fairly decent guy. “Thor, go stand on the other side of Bruce.” Tony was using what Steve had dubbed the ‘Mom’ voice- the one that was calm but held an absolute threat of death underneath if someone disobeyed. Just like a mom.   
Even Thor recognized the voice, moving to the other side of Bruce and walking alongside him like everything was totally normal. Bruce knew it was too late, though. People had already taken his picture at least once. Tomorrow morning was not a going to be a good day for him. Maybe even later on today, if it got onto cable.   
“Tony…” Bruce said, gently. “Can we stop at that café for a minute? I could use some tea.” He could feel the Other Guy starting to worry, starting to become upset. That was not a good sign for him. “We should talk.”   
Thor had an uncanny ability to tell when Bruce was in an emotional state. He could tell that the scientist was starting to feel upset. “I heartily agree, Bruce. I would like to try ‘espresso’.”  
It was obviously more than that, but Tony obliged as he walked into the coffee shop. “Thor, you order whatever. Bruce and I will go find a table.” He took Bruce’s hand immediately and led him over to a booth in the corner. “Alright, Bruce. It’s okay. This isn’t the end of the world.” Tony said in a soothing tone.  
Bruce sat down on the edge and put his head on the table, taking slow, deep breaths. “I was fat in elementary school too and everyone made fun of me.” He said, barely above a whisper.   
Tony started to rub circles in his back. “Don’t worry, Brucie…I’m a media wizard. I won’t let anyone say anything rude.”   
All that got was a chuckle. “Tony, it’s the media. They don’t care. They don’t like me anyways. If I’m humiliated, fine, whatever. God…why did I agree to this? I should have thought this through.”   
“Bruce, you enjoy it. Right?” Tony suddenly looked unsure. “If you don’t, that’s fine- we’ll stop and I’ll help you get back to the way you want. But you shouldn’t stop because some asshole with a camera decides to take some unauthorized photos. To tell you the truth, we both knew this day would come eventually. Maybe we should just tell everyone.”   
Bruce sat up and shook his head. “And what, just tell the world my sexual preferences? The giant green rage monster is also a human with desire? We make a sex tape? I’ll skip it. Thanks.” He sighed. “Tony, it doesn’t matter.”  
Tony frowned, taking his hand and squeezing it. “I think it does. Give me a minute-long rundown of why you like it, okay? Only because I think we have that long before Thor starts making a scene.”   
“Fine, Tony. You want the story. It makes me feel at home. You knew that. At my home, food or lack thereof was a punishment. When I had food, I ate. It made me feel safe. When I was on the run, I had more but not a lot. I was just trying to..keep going. I couldn’t enjoy it. I never slowed down.”   
That was when Tony realized that no- this wasn’t a sex thing. “Bruce, you aren’t…it might be a kink, but to me, it sounds like you just want to stay. I want you to stay. So…we can do whatever you want with that.”  
Thor went back to the table and put the tea down for Bruce, then downed his espresso. “That was wonderful!” He said, cheerily. “Are you both okay?” He was still taking note of their tension. Thor wasn’t completely oblivious after all. “Are you both alright?”  
Tony nodded quickly. “Yeah, we’re good. Right Bruce?” The way Tony looked at him was enough to make Bruce melt. It was that abandonment thing again.   
“Yeah, Tony. We’re fine.” He sat up and started to puff on his tea gently to cool it off. “Don’t worry about it.” Bruce was starting to realize that as much as he had become independent, and as aloof as Tony was at times…the man still needed him. Like a cat. “Just spend more time with me, okay? Or maybe share what you’re working on in the lab, so I can help you. Trust me.” He was hurt, and well, maybe it was better to talk it out with Thor around in case things escalated to an unsafe level.   
That did sting a little. “I’m sorry Bruce, I just didn’t want you to be involved because I don’t think you would like it. It’s not really safe and I know the way you worry about me-“   
Tony was interrupted by Bruce’s hand on his shoulder. “Tony, please? I care about you, yeah, but if you’re devoted enough to whatever it is you have, I don’t care. I’ll help you. Half of what I do isn’t exactly on the board of ethical science either.”   
That was news to Tony, considering the man insisted upon total safety- at least while he was around. Then again, the number of explosions in the lab had significantly lowered- so who was he to complain? “Okay. At home.” He finished his coffee. “If you want to stay and drink your tea here, Thor and I can go to the grocery store.”   
Bruce shook his head and stood, still sipping slowly. “No, I’ll come with you guys. A walk sounds nice, and I have to face the music eventually anyways.”   
That was what they did. Though, Thor still flanked one side of Bruce and Tony on the other. There was no need to subject the poor guy to any more humiliation than necessary. “Bruce, you deserve to be happy.” Tony said at one point, in barely a whisper.  
His lips tugged into a slightly rueful smile, looking up at Tony. “So do you.” Then they walked into the brightly lit supermarket, walking to the breakfast section. Bruce was just minding his own buisness until he was nearly knocked over by two children hugging onto him at once. He let out a small exclamation of surprise- thankfully nothing too naughty and caught himself on his hands.   
“Uh, hello.” He said, looking at the children. They were twins which immediately struck him as a little bit creepy- they were identical twins like those kids from the Shining or something. They looked up at him and smiled.  
“Hello! I know who you are,” The one on the left said. “I’m Eva.”   
The one on the right nodded. “I’m Ava. With an ‘A’ instead of an ‘E’.”  
Bruce bit his lip. “Eva, and Ava.” He made sure to enunciate the difference. “It’s nice to meet you, but how do you know who I am? And why are you hugging me?”   
Eva was the more talkative one. “You’re a superhero and we like you. Plus, we’re trying to find our momma and our dad.”   
He nodded thoughtfully. He loved children, not that he could have any. Still, there was no reason that he couldn’t help them. Bruce stood up and looked around- Tony and Thor had wandered off to the toy section. Yeah, he had time. “Alright, hold my hands and we’ll go see the people at the front desk. They’ll make a call for your parents.”   
The twins obeyed immediately, and Bruce felt his heart tighten a bit. If only these little girls, even though twins creeped him out a bit, were his. His children. Maybe one day Tony would have kids, and then they could kind of share somehow. He led them to the front of the store quietly, watching them skip. He was sure that the paparazzi were probably around taking millions of pictures, but for once he didn’t mind. All he was worried about was getting these little girls back to their parents.   
When he reached the front of the store, the staff was surprised to say the least. “Uh, hello.” He said, a bit shyly. “These two little ones lost their parents and I told them that I would help them find them.”   
A female staff member nodded a bit. “Alright.” She leaned down and asked the girls their last name, then announced it over the loudspeaker. Then, it was a waiting game.  
Bruce sat down and read a children’s book with them. They cuddled against his broad chest and soft stomach, and he couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, it was good to be cuddlier right now.   
Tony walked up a few moments later but kept his distance, smiling a little. Aww. Bruce was so cute around kids. He could tell how relaxed the man was, even from there. It made him wish that whoever those kids belonged to, it was them. Tony was not usually the type to like kids. Normally, he found them gross, loud, and annoying. Watching them with Bruce, it just felt sweet and right.   
Finally, the parents of the children hurried over. They pulled them away and looked at Bruce, not quite sure how to react. Finally, the mother spoke.  
“Uhm…thank you,” She said politely. “I’m glad they’re okay.”   
Bruce knew what she meant and nodded a little. “Yeah, you’re welcome. They just got lost. Have a good day,” He said politely, trying not to look too crestfallen. It was hard. If it were up to him, he would have stayed all day reading to them- but he had to remember that he was a monster. As though the Other Guy wasn’t always present. Sometimes though, now more recently, he was quieter. Sometimes Bruce could forget, like now. That always led to disappointment like this. He spotted Tony out of the corner of his eye and walked over to him, hearing his stomach rumble a little. “Alright, so…we should go get some lunch before we go home.” He said, softly.  
Tony leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Don’t be sad. We can go get Thai, okay?” He smiled down at him, knowing it would cheer the scientist up. “The kids loved you.”  
He nodded. “I know they did, Tony.” That was what was bothering him. Why did kids like him so much, anyways? Didn’t they recognize how dangerous he was? “Thai sounds good.” He looked around. “Where’s Thor?” He realized, stopping.   
Tony chuckled. “He left without us. You were with the kids for almost an hour. You know Bruce…I know we’re taking things slow, but I wouldn’t be averse to kids one day.”   
Bruce frowned a little and shook his head. “Nah, I wouldn’t be a very good father. Maybe okay, but the Other Guy, it wouldn’t be a good choice.” He kept walking. “It’s not a big deal.”  
Obviously that wasn’t true, but Tony took his hand and walked him to their favorite Thai place. “Let’s sit down and eat here.” He found a table. “Bruce, can I tell you something?”   
“Hmm?” Bruce mumbled softly, looking over the menu. He looked adorable, glasses on his face, which was a bit rounder than before. What to get?  
Tony blurted it out all at once. “I hope this isn’t too much all at once but I really care about you and I have for a long time, I just never thought you were gay for some weird reason and I just didn’t know how to talk to you. I really like you- hell, I love you Bruce and you deserve to be happy. If you want kids, then I want to help you find a safe way. If you want to do anything, I’ll help you.”   
At that point, Bruce was a little..dumbfounded. His mind was racing as he looked at Tony. He had to sort all of that out. “You love me?” He said softly, closing his eyes. He had to say it back, Tony would be crushed otherwise. Bruce had to be strong and get over it. “I, I love you too Tony.” He said after a few moments. “I don’t know what I want yet, okay?”   
“That’s okay, Brucie. We have a while. I’m kinda old, but not that old yet. Plus, you have more grey hair than I do.” He chuckled. “It looks good on you, though. I bet you’ll be a silver fox in ten years, and super sexy too.” Yeah, that would definitely look good on him.   
The waitress came soon and took their order. Bruce got a pretty normal amount of food, maybe on the large side. He could eat normal sized portions now without practically stuffing himself, so now he was working up to bigger things. Tony got a smaller dish, not exactly hungry. As he looked at Bruce, he realized something. Bruce needed attention to keep doing this. Love, affection, the things he didn’t have before. Otherwise, it was practically the same as when he was a scared kid. Tony needed to make this special for him, and he would.   
“Hey Bruce, when we get home, do you want me to rub your belly?” He asked softly, after the waitress left. “I’ll stay out of the lab and we can hang out on the couch.” Tony said, watching the younger man closely to gauge his reaction.   
It was subtle, but Bruce’s eyes lit up a little. “I’d love that, Tony.” He said, gently. “I like spending time with you outside the lab.” It certainly inspired him to eat more, anyways.   
Their meal arrived a few minutes later and the two ate in a surprisingly comfortable silence, until everything was gone. Tony gave Bruce his extra fortune cookie and helped him up, gently resting a hand on his softening tummy. “What do you weigh now anyways, honeybun? I feel like I’ve been neglecting you.”   
Bruce hummed a little. “One-forty-one.” He said, gently. By all accounts he really wasn’t that chubby, but he was so small that anything made him seem bigger. It didn’t take much for him to soften up. When Tony touched him, it made a chill run up his spine. “I love that.” He added gently, walking out with him slowly. It felt so good to be full and have Tony pay attention to him.   
When they got back home, Tony did exactly like he promised. They curled up on the couch together, cuddled under a blanket. He was pressed against Bruce’s stomach, rubbing it gently. “So, Bruce.” He began softly. “I’m working on something that might make me live for quite a while. I know you’re supposed to be immortal, and I don’t want you to be alone. You should have someone, and I’d like that someone to be me.” He leaned close and gave Bruce a small peck on the lips, relaxing.   
“Hmm. Well, I don’t mind, but immortality isn’t very fun.” He nuzzled into him. “I don’t want you to be alone, but I suppose then I won’t be alone either.” Bruce yawned, stretching. “Let’s work on it together later on.”  
Tony nodded. “Sure, whatever you want to do.” He sighed contently and closed his eyes, relaxing. He definitely wanted to be around for Bruce. No matter what that took. He would just have to work on it more slowly, otherwise he would lose Bruce from not savoring each moment enough.


	6. Media Bias

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Sorry that this one took a little longer and is a bit shorter than usual- I was having a hard time thinking of what to do and then I got a cold. Don’t worry, though. I have more ideas for the next chapter! I’d still love suggestions, though. You can send them to my Tumblr or post them here, whatever works for you.

Jarvis always turned on the morning news for Bruce to watch when he woke up. When he opened his eyes, he blinked sleepily only to find himself on the screen. “I made..the national news?” He squeaked, restraining himself from being too loud. Tony groaned at the sound and rolled over, almost onto the floor. “Oh my God..” Bruce still mumbled, watching the full segment. Health experts, scientists, everybody talking about this. Why the hell did they care? He was just a monster…and apparently an easy target. His heart fell as he watched, eventually turning it off and walking to the lab. He had expected some people to be rude, but he certainly didn’t expect to see his body broadcasted to millions of households, or everyone being so harsh.   
When Bruce got up and left, Tony groaned and rolled the rest of the way onto the floor. “Jarvis, why is Bruce upset?” He mumbled, running a hand through his messy hair.  
“It appears that the media has discovered his recent change in appearance sir. As it is Sunday and the news has been rather unimportant today, the segments on it are much longer than average.”  
Tony sighed and stood up, stretching. “Aw, great. He said something about the lab…” He walked over to the kitchen, looking to see if anyone had made breakfast. No luck. Well, poptarts weren’t going to be an option. What should he give Bruce? His own stomach rumbled softly too, and he chuckled. “I know. I just don’t know what to do, since I can’t make anything. I don’t think Bruce will want to go out..” He mused, literally just thinking to himself at this point. “Jarvis, can you arrange for a breakfast place to deliver? If so, get a whole bunch of breakfast food and send it up to the lab.”   
Jarvis was working quietly. “I’ll do my best, sir. In the mean-time, Doctor Banner’s distress seems to have increased. It might be wise to pay a visit to the lab before things escalate, sir.”   
Well, he knew what that meant, so Tony made good time to the lab. When he walked inside, it was quiet except for what he could pick up from Bruce crying. Anger bubbled inside Tony. He didn’t deserve to be judged so harshly. “Hey…” He said, softly. Slowly, he knelt beside Bruce.   
Bruce looked at him and shook his head. “You don’t deserve to be with me, some fat, ugly..freak, monster, whatever.” He curled away from Tony. “Just go away.”   
Tony wasn’t going to have any of that. He lied down beside Bruce and cuddled into him, just staying still. “Jarvis told me that those people didn’t have anything better to do. They’re sick. But you’re not ugly…you’re incredibly sexy.” He leaned over and kissed Bruce’s cheek. “C’mere, please?” He wanted to hug Bruce more tightly, hold him close until the tears stopped and he felt better.   
“I’m such a baby..” Bruce mumbled, before he turned over and hugged Tony. “I’m sorry. I’m not a very emotionally stable boyfriend.”   
He shook his head. “Bruce, you’re perfect to me. Handsome. Perfect. Insanely smart, great with children.” A smile appeared on Tony’s face as Bruce’s started to redden a little. “Not to mention, one of the most kind and sensitive people I’ve ever met.”  
Bruce looked up and then smiled just a little, leaning up and leaving a soft kiss on Tony’s lips. “Thank you. I guess you really in it for the long haul. I still don’t understand why, but,” He sat up and pulled Tony with him. “I really appreciate it.”   
Tony smiled. “You’re welcome. Let’s go eat breakfast, Jarvis ordered some for us.”  
The younger man chuckled and ran a hand through his tousled curls, nodding. “Alright. Guess we have to give them something to really talk about.”  
“My thoughts exactly, honeybun.”   
As they walked back to the kitchen, Bruce was definitely starting to feel better. Yeah, the media would probably continue to say bad things about him for a few days- then it would fizzle out like any other news story. They forgot about hurricanes in a day as long as it wasn’t in America, so they’d certainly forget about him. Besides, it wasn’t like gaining a little weight was the worst thing he had ever done.   
The delivery kid arrived right as they got upstairs, so Tony answered the door and took the bags. “Thanks, kid.” He said in his best ‘confused gangster’ impression, then tossed him a hundred and closed the door.  
Bruce giggled behind him. “That was a little rude. And a little weird,” He said, continuing to laugh.  
Tony turned and grinned at him, subtly noticing the way Bruce’s stomach jiggled just a little as he laughed. “Well, I have to have a little fun every now and then.” He stepped closer to Bruce and put one hand around to his shoulder, and rested another on his stomach. “I love you, and your belly, and every single ounce of you Brucie.”   
A small blush came to Bruce’s cheeks and ears, and he chuckled. ‘Thanks, Tony. I..I love you too.” It got easier to say every time, at least to Bruce. “You’re amazing. Now let’s eat some breakfast.” He moved away and took the bag full of breakfast food, then sat down on the couch. “I didn’t even know they delivered breakfast food.  
“They don’t,” Tony said, sitting down beside him. He wasn’t nearly as big as Bruce was, but yeah, his stomach was starting to poke into his overly tight skinny jeans just a little bit. “Steve is probably going to start bothering the hell out of me soon, y’know.” He draped himself on Bruce casually, like the man was his own personal breakfast-eating pillow. “I mean, it won’t change what you do, but I might have to redesign the suit.”  
Bruce cut a piece of pancake and popped it into Tony’s mouth. “Don’t worry about it too much. If Steve bothers you, I’ve been told that I can be pretty intimidating when I want to be.” He chuckled, eating some pancake too. “I’m officially your protector, according to the Other Guy.” It had come out more meaningful than he had intended it to- but Bruce wasn’t kidding. The Hulk really did like Tony, a lot. According to the voice in his head, there was no one who was going to hurt him. Physically, or mentally.   
Tony arched an eyebrow, accepting the pancake and keeping his mouth open like a baby bird. “Really? ‘Cause I mean, I’ve never had an adorable chubby guy who can turn into a rage monster as a bodyguard. That’s pretty sweet.”   
There was a blush, and a small laugh in response. Then another piece of pancake in Tony’s mouth. “Alright, don’t read too much into it. All I know is that’s what the Other Guy said.” He fed Tony the rest of the pancake, then shifted the man off of him. “Your turn to feed me, I’m hungry.” He complained gently, handing him the foam boxes.   
“Alright. I like feeding you better, anyways.” It didn’t take long for Tony to feed Bruce a lot. He was better, had more practice at feeding others. Bruce had soon polished off four pancakes, several strips of bacon, and some eggs. He couldn’t just eat totally unhealthy stuff, after all. Well, he could- but Bruce didn’t want to.   
Natasha walked into the communal living room and watched the two men casually stuffing each other, her own lithe body stretching. “Hey, boys.” She said casually, walking around the couch.   
Bruce jumped a little, then blushed. “Well…I guess everyone has probably watched the news already. Sorry I didn’t tell you, Natasha.”   
The red-head chuckled. “Bruce, I’ve known for months. Clint can’t keep his damn mouth shut, and I’m a spy. Not much escapes my attention, especially when my teammates have a semi-inconvenient kink. I was just here to say good morning and let you know that I don’t condone it, but I don’t hate you or anything. You do whatever, right?” She smiled a little and walked to the kitchen, getting a glass. “I’m just glad you found happiness, Bruce.” She called, stretching. Then she got back into the elevator and left.  
Tony smiled. “Well, I guess he’s good with that. The only person who I really think might be pissed is Fury, but…yeah. Who cares what that guy thinks?” He yawned, drinking a glass of orange juice. “Oh, I know you don’t usually participate, but he has us scheduled for a training routine tomorrow and he wants you to participate. Before you start fretting, it’s in the absolute middle of nowhere. One-hundred square miles of nothing.”   
Bruce thought for a moment. “Well, I haven’t had to do anything in a while, and it might be kind of fun. The Other Guy has been itching to get out for a while…sure, as long as Thor is going to be there.”  
“He is.” Tony leaned against him and yawned. “So, what should we do with the rest of this lazy Sunday?”   
“Well, I was kind of thinking that maybe we could go ice skating.”  
Tony arched an eyebrow. “My Brucie, wanting to get out and do something in public?” He grinned- of course he wanted to go do that. Tony wouldn’t admit it, but he had missed out on a lot as a kid. “Sure. But you know that they close for the season tomorrow, so they’ll probably be pretty busy.”  
Bruce nodded and took his hand, thinking. It wouldn’t be so bad. “I’ll be fine. Besides, if I fall, I have more padding now than before.” He chuckled softly. “I think I’ll be just fine.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ice skating rink was really busy. Bruce was already out on the ice, and Tony was still tying his laces with nimble hands. He had never skated before- but apparently Bruce had. There was no way he would fall. Wherever Bruce learned to ice skate, he was like an old pro. Tony eventually stood and shuffled over to him, clumsily. “Where did you learn to ice skate? I thought you spent half your life in places that were above seventy in the winter.”   
Bruce laughed and put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, then another taking his right hand. “I learned to ice skate in Ohio. I was a kid once- remember? When I lived with my aunt, we went ice skating on the pond. It was dangerous, the ice almost never completely freezes. But a few winters were so cold, that it was okay and we had a lot of fun. In the summer we went to indoor rinks sometimes too.” He started to lead Tony along the rink with everyone else, slowly. “It’s easy, like rollerskating. You just have to sort of slide your feet along. You can’t pick them up too much or you’ll fall.”  
Tony chuckled. “Like this?” He asked, putting his foot forward.  
“No, Tony that’s the-“ Before he could finish, Tony had put his skate forward and onto the toe pick, then tripped on it and fell right into Bruce. It created a domino effect, forcing Bruce onto the ice.   
“Agh…geez, Tony..” Bruce complained, getting up slowly. “That’s the toe pick. You don’t ever use that for anything.” He held out his hand to help the smaller man up. “If my ass is bruised, it’s your fault. You’re just lucky I didn’t take enough of a hit to get angry.” He added, a little quieter.  
Tony took his hand and slowly got up. “Ah, you could never be mad at me. You’ll be fine.”   
They started skating again, slowly. Tony was getting a little better, and Bruce was relaxing more. It was fun to get out and do something. Occasionally they would get some stares, people recognizing them from the news or something. Bruce didn’t mind, though. Of course people were curious. Right now, he could just focus on Tony and having fun.   
Eventually, Tony’s nose got red and he sneezed, almost knocking them both over again. “We should go before I get sick, Bruce. I’m too old for this.” He said, joking.   
Bruce nodded. “Alright. Let’s go and get some hot chocolate or something.” He practically pulled Tony over to the rink’s exit, and started to unlace his own skates. “I missed doing normal stuff.” He said after a few minutes, pulling his own shoes back on again. “I mean, you’ve always treated me like a regular guy, Tony. I just can’t remember the last time I went and did something fun like ice skating. Something that average people do for fun.”  
Tony smiled and leaned down, nuzzling his shoulder. “I’m glad you had fun. You deserve to be happy. It seems like you are a lot happier now, though there’s still some room for improvement.” He poked Bruce’s tummy a little, and stretched. “I’m not usually the kind of guy to like relationships and doing stereotypical things, but this really is nice. I gotta admit. But if it’s the last thing I do, we will go to a nice restaurant, like an honestly nice one. The kind that you always say costs too much money, but has really good food. I want to pamper you.”   
Bruce stood up with a small huff and looked at him, thinking. “I think right now; I’d just prefer some hot chocolate.”  
There was a hot chocolate stand a short way away and the pair walked over. Bruce noticed a magazine rack- and that he was on the cover of three of them. "Ah, for God's sakes." He mumbled, then walked over to the front of the stand. "Hi, yeah. I'll take a medium hot chocolate please." Then he glanced to Tony. "What are you going to get?"  
Tony moved beside him. "I'll take a hot coffee, and make his hot chocolate a large with whipped cream."   
Bruce huffed a little and took Tony's hand, then squeezed it slightly.   
The woman running the stand smiled a little, looking at them. "Aren't you the one in the news? Yeah, Bruce Banner- and you're Tony Stark. I wouldn't worry, mister. You still look good." She gave him a cheeky grin, and their drinks. "That's seven dollars."   
Tony gave her a fifty instead and smiled at her. "Thanks for making my boyfriend feel better." Then he waved, and dragged Bruce off. Yeah, he was a little bit possesive- but Bruce was all his. She was right though, he looked great. Nothing would change that; no matter how much the media talked.


	7. Spa Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes/Warnings: No warnings, Bruce is naked but it’s for mostly wholesome reasons only. Everyone needs a spa day, after all.

It was practice day. Tony had everything all lined up, so he was really hoping it wouldn’t take long. All the Avengers were in the middle of nowhere, along with Fury. Tony wasn’t really sure what was supposed to be happening, but it didn’t really matter as long as they got home soon.   
Bruce stood next to Tony anxiously, holding the man’s hand. Of course it had gotten around to Fury that Bruce had put on some weight, and now that he was face to face with Fury, he wasn’t feeling much better. Add in the idea of letting the Other Guy roam free like some kind of uncaged animal for training…well, he was feeling pretty stressed.   
Rather than say anything, Fury just looked at all of them for a few moments. They all looked professional- which for Clint, was odd. They were all equally confused and prepared for anything. He left after a few moments and then, it began. The exercise started like all the others, with the normal robots they fought during training. The others kept Bruce behind them, and took care of all of them first. He wasn’t supposed to turn into the Other Guy unless it was absolutely necessary.   
Suddenly, the attacks ramped up. The robots were bigger, stronger. Tony couldn’t remember building these, which meant he was either drunk at the time, or they reverse-engineered them. Both were concerning. “Jarvis, remember to make my robots self-destruct if they’re opened or scanned.” He said, making a note to himself. Then he kept fighting, firing multiple repulsion blasts at the robots at a time. It wasn’t enough to stop everything though.   
The slightly chubby and adorable scientist behind him was gone in a flash, replaced by a deafening roar from The Hulk. He stomped forward, leaving deep marks in the ground. The only sound that could be heard for a split-second was him, and the robots. Every time Tony saw the Hulk, he was amazed that such a thing could happen from science. It was fascinating even though Bruce considered it terrible, and it was, even Tony knew that. It should have been impossible, but it wasn’t. “Hey, Hulk. Make sure only to smash the big robots, alright?”   
Hulk didn’t pay any attention to him, but it seemed like he was doing like Tony asked. Hulk almost always listened to Tony, and Natasha too. Those were the only two people he knew that he could trust for sure. The others were his friends- but Tony and Natasha were always his allies. Hulk smashed more robots, taking them all out with an easy swipe of his fist. Whatever Banner was doing, didn’t seem to change what Hulk did best. That pleased the monster, and when the bigger robots were gone, Hulk roared and picked up Tony.  
Tony was still in his suit thankfully, but he squirmed. “Hey, pal, lighten up a little. You’re going to crush the man of Iron if you don’t.” He laughed a little nervously, and thankfully Hulk relented. Then Tony flew up and closer to his face, lifting his own mast. “Hey, buddy. I have a surprise for Banner, but you’ll have to calm down first.”  
Hulk tilted his head. “Banner?” He asked, staring at Tony. Then he nodded a little, processing the word ‘surprise’. “Hulk have surprise?” He growled softly, looking at Tony.   
The older man shook his head. “Not today, Hulk. Another day, I promise. Now I need puny Banner back, alright?” He flew closer to him and kissed the Hulk’s cheek, taking note of how leathery and thick his skin felt. Even though he had seen the Hulk plenty of times, they hadn’t interacted too much until now. It was nice. Tony was starting to understand why the Hulk was angry, too.  
It took a few minutes to get him entirely calmed down, but soon instead of the Hulk, Bruce was there- and naked too. “Hey…” Bruce said, sounding tired. “How did I do?” There was that little smile- the one Tony loved.  
Tony stepped out of the Iron Man suit, and handed Bruce a pair of his newer pants. “You did great, honeybun. Now we can go back to the Tower.” They weren’t going to the Tower, but Tony wasn’t going to share that yet. It was unlikely that Bruce remembered anything that he said to the Other Guy. Usually, Bruce didn’t remember a thing except perhaps later in a dream.   
Bruce quickly pulled his pants on, and looked around for a shirt. Clint was holding a green button-up shirt that looked a little bit smaller than he had been wearing lately. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers, so he walked over to Clint and took the shirt. “Thanks.” He said, eyeing Clint slightly. Was this on purpose? It really seemed like it was on purpose. “I’ll give you one of my new shirts tomorrow.”   
Clint leaned forward and whispered into his ear. “Wear this one, it’ll get Tony for sure.” Then he yawned casually.  
The scientist couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow at that. How could Clint know that? Sometimes Bruce was five seconds away from strangling the archer, but this time- maybe Clint was right. They had been dating for a while, maybe it was time to take things to another level. He was still incredibly nervous about the idea, but Tony couldn’t wait forever. Bruce started to button the shirt, or at least the best he could. He had only gone up a size or two, but the buttons were definitely having a hard time stretching across his widening body. He could feel Tony’s eyes on him. The way they moved across his body- yeah, Clint was definitely right.  
Tony couldn’t help but stare- it wasn’t entirely his fault. Bruce looked so damn good. Those buttons looked like they might pop off with the right encouragement, and Tony was starting to regret making plans for the day. After a moment, he couldn’t resist it anymore and grabbed Bruce’s hand, leading him to the waiting plane. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t get any privacy. The others were also hitching a ride back. He walked in and flopped down on the couch, feeling slightly irritated and definitely flushed all over. If only they were on this plane together, alone. Bruce’s weight beside him on the couch snapped him back into the reality of the situation, and he sighed a little. “Love you, honeybun.” He said softly, and closed his eyes.  
Bruce smiled and nodded a little. “Love you too.” He looked around at the others. “Now, we aren’t going to the Tower…” He said, noticing that they were flying further into the country, not towards it.  
“No, you’re right. We’re going to Maine.”   
“Maine…?” Bruce asked gently, not quite understanding why Tony would be taking them to Maine. There wasn’t an emergency there, right? Generally, the Avengers stuck around New York- aliens seemed to focus there.   
Tony nodded a little. “I told the Other Guy I had a surprise for you, and I wasn’t lying. We’re going for a spa day. Plus, I’d love to see you in one of those adorable plaid lumberjack shirts.”  
That earned him an arched eyebrow. “Do I seem like the lumberjack type, Tony?” Bruce laughed a little, making sure Tony knew it was a joke. Then he leaned closer to the engineer, and smirked. “I’ll wear whatever you want.” He added.   
Clint flashed them both a grin and stood up. “I brought plane snacks! Which is much better than plane snakes. Keep that in mind, Nat, before you bring ‘little’ Tony back on the plane.”   
Natasha barely cracked a smile. “If we’re keeping snakes off the plane, we should have kicked the human Tony off ages ago.”   
Tony gave them both a look of fake hurt. “I’m the one who owns this plane. Just give the snacks to Bruce already, before I sic him on you.”   
Clint shrugged and handed Bruce a couple granola bars, then shrugged. “Enjoy, big guy.”   
“Yeah, thanks Clint.” Bruce said quietly, deciding to eat these very slowly and carefully. The last thing he wanted was to have a wardrobe malfunction in front of everyone. No matter whether they approved or not, that would be embarrassing. Even if Tony seemed like he would rip his shirt off at any given second. 

 

The plane ride thankfully passed without any malfunctions, though Bruce somehow felt even more poured into the shirt than before. Geez, he really was gaining a lot of weight apparently. Then he thought back to his newer shirts- they were getting pretty tight too. No wonder. They all stepped out onto the grounds of a resort that apparently Tony had booked out completely, since it seemed to be devoid of any other guests. The others went to their own cabin areas, and rather than that, Tony led Bruce straight to a spa.   
Bruce looked around, sort of amazed by it all. “This place seems expensive. You didn’t buy it all…right?”   
Tony shrugged dismissively. “Only until I find someone else to sell it to. Unless you like it, then I’ll keep it.”   
“Tony…you realize that’s kind of insane, right? There’s no reason to go to such lengths for me. It’s not even my birthday or anything like that.” Bruce said, blushing. He was looking at the floor, which made Tony a little upset.  
“Bruce, look at me. It’s our three-month anniversary. That means we’ve made it past the whole, teenage romance phase.” Tony put a hand on Bruce’s chin and gently guided him to his lips. “Plus, I noticed that your back has been bothering you, and I thought it would be nice to get you a massage. I never do anything halfway. The others liked the idea of having a vacation too. I promise it’s fine.” He knew that Bruce wouldn’t accept it if it seemed even like he was doing something remotely selfish. It always made Tony a little sad. Bruce was such a selfless guy; it was amazing to him.   
Bruce looked hesitant, then nodded. “Alright, I guess so.” It was true, his back had been bothering him a little, though he wasn’t sure how Tony had noticed. Normally, his boyfriend was pretty much oblivious. Sweet and caring, in his own way.   
A younger blonde woman appeared through the door and smiled a little. “Hello, you two must be the ones here for the couple’s massage. Come on in, I’ll show you where you can change. Then you can go to the steam room while I get the massage room ready.” She handed them both bathrobes, and led them to a small communal changing area. “I’ll be back in about five minutes- and I’ll knock.” She smiled a little, then walked out.  
Tony sighed and walked over to Bruce immediately. “Thank goodness, you look like you might pop out of that shirt any second.” He turned the smaller man around to face him, and started to unbutton his shirt slowly. “You’re putting it back on after though, so we can order some room service and make those buttons pop.”   
Bruce blushed, looking at him. “Mm…okay, Tony. That does sound nice.” He had never tried it himself, but he had seen videos and it was pretty sexy. Not to mention, this shirt was already way too tight- why not just finish it up? It would probably be pretty fun.   
After Tony removed Bruce’s shirt, he gave Bruce a small kiss on the forehead and took his own clothes off- tying the fluffy white bathrobe around his body easily. It hung off of him, and was generally a tiny bit too big.   
The bathrobe that Bruce was wearing was the exact same size, but his was on the tighter side. It still tied and worked well enough to be modest for a spa, but he would probably need a bigger size if they ever returned- he definitely would if Tony had any say in it.   
The young woman knocked and walked in after a few moments, then smiled seeing them both. “Okay, we’re actually ready in the massage room now, so unless you wanted to go to the steam room, we can get started now.”   
Bruce shook his head. “I’d like to get started now, please. If that’s okay, Tony.” He added, looking up at him. He was always a little unsure about giving directions. Tony was the one who usually handled everything social in the relationship.   
Tony smiled a little and nodded. “Of course, Bruce. Whatever you want. Lead the way, alright?” They walked there together, and Tony focused on encouraging Bruce to make small talk. He always worried a little bit about his boyfriend, considering he wasn’t the most social guy. The more people that knew the real him, the less likely they would be afraid of him. At least that was the logic he was operating under.  
The massage room was wonderful. It smelt of citrus and herbs, and there was soft music and nature sounds playing in the background. Both men removed their bathrobes and found their way onto the massage tables, and Bruce already felt more relaxed than he had in months. Maybe he should let Tony pamper him more often, just every few months or so. Or maybe once every month.   
Tony relaxed as well, closing his eyes. As the other masseuse started to work on his shoulders, he started to think about Bruce. He was probably relaxed too, and whoever was working on him got to rub his back and shoulders too. Lucky. He would definitely be participating when he got back to the cabin with Bruce.   
The massage was over roughly and hour later, and they both got dressed again and went back to their cabin. It was a lovely wooden structure, surprisingly large on the inside. Tony had selected the nicest honeymoon suite, of course. There was a big poster bed with a soft quilt on one end, and a sitting area on the other with two chairs and a table. When they walked in, Tony left Bruce to gape at the quality of the room, and started to order room service. “Yeah, hello. We’d like some dinner. Hmm…we’ll take two of the country specials, and one chicken burger. Some dessert? Chocolate cake. Yeah, thanks. Bye.” He hung up and got back up, walking over to Bruce. “I ordered dinner.” He said, plainly.   
Bruce nodded a little, crossing his arms across his now larger chest. “I heard, you ordered enough for four people, Tony.” He scolded, lightly.   
That only earned a smirk from the engineer. “You, me, the Other Guy, and...” He paused for a moment. “Definitely your belly.” He placed a hand on the softness that threatened to break free from the green cloth with white buttons. “Now. I think you should go sit down and wait for dinner- and don’t worry, I got you some shirts to wear on the trip.”  
Bruce sighed and nodded, so he went further into the room and sat down on one of the soft chairs. “Hey Tony, how big am I supposed to be getting here anyways?” He complained lightly- not that he was really even in full-blown ‘fat’ territory, or that he minded getting big. Especially now that Tony was involved.  
Tony thought for a moment. “Well, when you’re ready, I think you’ll know. Cutie.” He chuckled, mostly teasing like he would a girl. “The food is supposed to be here in a few minutes. I don’t know how I’ll wait. I can’t wait to see you get too big for that shirt…”   
Bruce arched an eyebrow, looking at him. “I still can’t believe you’ve gotten so into this. It’s actually really nice. I mean- I know it’s weird…I guess I’m kind of a weird guy.” He stretched and rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, Tony.”   
The food did arrive a few minutes later, and Tony was quick to send the delivery boy off, and put all the food on the table. “I want you to eat as much as you can on your own, then I’ll help.” Tony said, sitting down across from him. He started to eat some of his own burger, but mainly watching Bruce eat. He loved the way Bruce seemed a little unsure, but always kept going.   
Bruce was slow, but steady. He ate the first meal on his own, then started on the second before he needed help. His shirt felt even tighter than before, the buttons straining on his stomach, which was rounding from the food. “I think it’s time to call you in Tony,” He said, softly. “I don’t think I can eat much more. Not on my own.” He leaned back, and rubbed his belly a little.  
Tony was more than willing to help, feeding him bite after bite until it was gone. He heard a soft clink a few minutes later, then another, and broke into a grin as he processed what it was. Bruce’s soft belly was poking out of his shirt, the pale flesh with a little dark hair. “Good job. I’m guessing you don’t want dessert?”   
A soft groan came from the thought of eating another bite. “No…I think that’s plenty. You eat it, Tony.” Bruce said, sleepily. “I’m gunna go to bed.” He put his hands on the table and pushed himself up slowly, then put a hand under his stomach to support it as he moved to the bed. He didn’t even care that they would be sleeping together. It wasn’t the first or the last, and he felt like their relationship had lasted long enough to warrant it. He just collapsed on the bed, rolling onto his side and rubbing his belly.  
Of course, Tony didn’t care about dessert at all. He walked over and flopped down beside Bruce, rocking the bed a little which made Bruce groan again. Tony started to rub his boyfriend’s stomach and unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way. “There we go. You did amazing, as usual. I love you, Bruce.”  
Bruce smiled at that. “I love you too, Tony. I mean it.” He yawned sleepily and slowly moved into him, then closed his eyes. “If I can’t move tomorrow, it’s your fault.”   
Tony shook his head. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Breakfast always gets you out of bed.” He chuckled, and gave Bruce a soft kiss on the lips. “Goodnight, babe.”   
“Night, Tony.”


End file.
